Apparatus and method for determining presence of objects in a vehicle Number:7,386,372 from the United States Patent and Trademark Office (PTO) owispatent Vehicle including a first substructure and a second substructure arranged such that an interior space is defined by or between the first and second substructures, and an arrangement for determining whether an object is present in the interior space. The arrangement includes at least one ultrasonic transducer arranged on the second substructure and to transmit ultrasonic waves toward the first substructure and receive any waves reflected by objects in the interior space and a processor coupled to the ultrasonic transducer(s) and arranged to determine whether an object is present in the interior space based on reception of waves by the ultrasonic transducer(s). If the vehicle is an automobile and the interior space is the passenger compartment therein, the first substructure can be the passenger seat and the second substructure can be the A-pillar, in which case, the processor determines the presence or absence of a passenger in the passenger seat.<H determining, Apparatus, Apparatus, and, m, 7386372.html, Patent, pto, 7386372

Title: Apparatus and method for determining presence of objects in a vehicle

Abstract: Vehicle including a first substructure and a second substructure arranged such that an interior space is defined by or between the first and second substructures, and an arrangement for determining whether an object is present in the interior space. The arrangement includes at least one ultrasonic transducer arranged on the second substructure and to transmit ultrasonic waves toward the first substructure and receive any waves reflected by objects in the interior space and a processor coupled to the ultrasonic transducer(s) and arranged to determine whether an object is present in the interior space based on reception of waves by the ultrasonic transducer(s). If the vehicle is an automobile and the interior space is the passenger compartment therein, the first substructure can be the passenger seat and the second substructure can be the A-pillar, in which case, the processor determines the presence or absence of a passenger in the passenger seat.

Patent Number: 7,386,372 Issued on 06/10/2008 to Breed, et al.

Inventors: Breed; David S. (Boonton Township, NJ), DuVall; Wilbur E. (Kimberling City, MO), Johnson; Wendell C. (Kaneohe, HI), Chekhovoy; Oleksandr (Kyiv, UA), Zakharenkov; Kyrylo (Kyiv, UA)
Assignee: Automotive Technologies International, Inc. (Denville, NJ)

Appl. No.: 11/278,979

Filed: April 7, 2006

Related U.S. Patent Documents


Application Number	Filing Date	Patent Number	Issue Date
10940881	Sep., 2004
10931288	Aug., 2004	7164117
10303364	Nov., 2002	6784379
10174803	Jun., 2002	6958451
09500346	Feb., 2000	6442504
09128490	Aug., 1998	6078854
08970822	Nov., 1997	6081757
08474783	Jun., 1995	5822707
09849558	May., 2001	6653577
09849559	May., 2001	6689962
09193209	Nov., 1998	6242701
09128490	Aug., 1998	6078854
09901879	Jul., 2001	6555766
09849559	May., 2001	6689962
09770974	Jan., 2001	6648367
09767020	Jan., 2001	6533316
09753186	Jan., 2001	6484080
10457238	Jun., 2003	6919803
10227781	Aug., 2002	6792342
10061016	Jan., 2002	6833516
60387792	Jun., 2002

Current U.S. Class: 701/1 ; 340/436

Field of Search: 701/1,45 180/273,282 340/436 307/10.1,10.3 280/802,730.1,735

References Cited [Referenced By]

U.S. Patent Documents


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Primary Examiner: Tran; Dalena
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Roffe; Brian

Parent Case Text

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation-in-part of:

U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/931,288 filed Aug. 31, 2004, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,164,177, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/303,364 filed Nov. 25, 2002, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,784,379; and

U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/940,881 filed Sep. 13, 2004 which is:

1. a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/174,803 filed Jun. 19, 2002 now U.S. Pat. No. 6,958,451, which is a continuation-in-part of:

a) U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/500,346 filed Feb. 8, 2000, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,442,504, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/128,490, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,078,854, which is a continuation-in-part of: 1) U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/474,783 filed Jun. 7, 1995, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,822,707, and 2) U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/970,822 filed Nov. 14, 1997, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,081,757;

b) U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/849,558 filed May 4, 2001, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,653,577, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/193,209 filed Nov. 17, 1998, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,242,701, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/128,490 filed Aug. 4, 1998, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,078,854, which is a continuation-in-part of: 1) U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/474,783 filed Jun. 7, 1995, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,822,707, and 2) U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/970,822 filed Nov. 14, 1997, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,081,757;

c) U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/849,559 filed May 4, 2001, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,689,962, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/193,209 filed Nov. 17, 1998, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,242,701, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/128,490 filed Aug. 4, 1998, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,078,854, which is a continuation-in-part of: 1) U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/474,783 filed Jun. 7, 1995, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,822,707, and 2) U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/970,822 filed Nov. 14, 1997, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,081,757;

d) U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/901,879 filed Jul. 9, 2001, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,555,766, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/849,559 filed May 4, 2001 which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/193,209 filed Nov. 17, 1998, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,242,701, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/128,490 filed Aug. 4, 1998, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,078,854, which is a continuation-in-part of: 1) U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/474,783 filed Jun. 7, 1995, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,822,707, and 2) U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/970,822 filed Nov. 14, 1997, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,081,757;

e) U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/753,186 filed Jan. 2, 2001, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,484,080;

f) U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/767,020 filed Jan. 23, 2001, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,533,316; and

g) U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/770,974 filed Jan. 26, 2001, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,648,367;

2. a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/457,238 filed Jun. 9, 2003, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,919,803, which claims priority under 35 U.S.C. .sctn.119(e) of U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 60/387,792 filed Jun. 11, 2002, now expired;

3. a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/06 1,016 filed Jan. 30, 2002, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,833,516, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/901,879 filed Jul. 9, 2001, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,555,766, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/849,559 filed May 4, 2001, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,689,962, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/193,209 filed Nov. 17, 1998, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,242,701, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/128,490 filed Aug. 4, 1998, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,078,854, which is a continuation-in-part of: 1) U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/474,783 filed Jun. 7, 1995, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,822,707; and 2) U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/970,822 filed Nov. 14, 1997, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,081,757; and

4. a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/227,78 1 filed Aug. 26, 2002, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,792,342, which is:

a. a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/061,016 filed Jan. 30, 2002, the history of which is set forth above; and

a. a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/500,346 filed Feb. 8, 2000, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,442,504, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/128,490 filed Aug. 4, 1998, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,078,854, which is: 1) a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/474,783 filed Jun. 7, 1995, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,822,707; and 2) a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/970,822 filed Nov. 14, 1997, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,081,757.

All of the above-referenced applications are incorporated by reference herein.

Claims

The invention claimed is:

1. A vehicle, comprising: a plurality of parts or components defining an interior space in which one or more objects can be situated, said parts or components including a first substructure and a second substructure arranged opposite at least a part of said first substructure such that the interior space is defined in part by said first and second substructures; and an arrangement for determining whether an object is present in the interior space, arrangement comprising: at least one ultrasonic transducer arranged on said second substructure and to transmit ultrasonic waves toward said first substructure and receive any waves reflected by objects in the interior space; a processor coupled to said at least one ultrasonic transducer and arranged to determine whether an object is present in the interior space based on any reception of waves by said at least one ultrasonic transducer; determining means for determining at least one property of an atmosphere in the interior space which affects the propagation of ultrasonic waves; and ultrasonic transducer control means coupled to said determining means and to at least one of said at least one transducer and said processor for modifying transmission of the ultrasonic waves via said at least one ultrasound transducer or processing of the received ultrasonic waves via said processor based on the property of the atmosphere in the interior space determined by said determining means.

2. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein said at least one ultrasonic transducer is controlled to associate reception of waves in discrete periods of time with specific timed transmissions of waves, said arrangement further comprising a processing circuit coupled to said at least one ultrasonic transducer and arranged to remove at least one portion of the waves received by said at least one ultrasonic transducer in each time period to thereby form shortened returned waves, said processor being coupled to said processing circuit and arranged to determine whether an object is present in the interior space based on the shortened returned waves formed by said processing circuit.

3. The vehicle of claim 2, wherein said at least one portion of the waves removed is an end wave portion at the end of the time period.

4. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein said at least one ultrasonic transducer comprises a plurality of ultrasonic transducers arranged on said second substructure in positions in which they have different transmission and reception fields.

5. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein said processor comprises a pattern recognition algorithm.

6. The vehicle of claim 5, wherein said pattern recognition algorithm comprises a neural network trained in a training stage in which ultrasonic waves received by said at least one ultrasonic transducer in the absence of objects in the interior space and ultrasonic waves received by said at least one ultrasonic transducer with objects present in the interior space are collected and used to derive the neural network, said neural network operatively processing the waves received by said at least one ultrasonic transducer to provide an indication of the presence or absence of objects in the interior space.

7. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the vehicle is an automobile, the interior space is a passenger compartment in the automobile, said first substructure is a front passenger seat and said second substructure is an A-pillar, said processor being arranged to determined the presence or absence of a passenger in said passenger seat.

8. The vehicle of claim 7, wherein said at least one ultrasonic transducer is mounted on said A-pillar proximate but not on a ceiling defining the passenger compartment.

9. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein said at least one ultrasonic transducer is mounted at or proximate a top of said second substructure such that waves are transmitted in a downward direction toward the first substructure.

10. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein said determining means are arranged to determine the temperature of the atmosphere in the interior space and said ultrasonic transducer control means are arranged to modify transmission of the ultrasonic waves or processing of the received ultrasonic waves based on the determined temperature.

11. The vehicle of claim 10, wherein said ultrasonic transducer control means are arranged to modify a frequency at which the ultrasonic waves are transmitted by said at least one ultrasonic transmitter based on the determined temperature to provide for a substantially constant wavelength of the transmitted ultrasonic waves over a range of temperatures.

12. The vehicle of claim 10, wherein said ultrasonic transducer control means are arranged to determine the size of a portion of waves to be removed from a larger set of waves received during each discrete period of time based on the determined temperature such that the analyzed waves emanate from the same distance or distance range from said at least one transducer.

13. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein said determining means are arranged to determine the humidity of the atmosphere in the interior space; said ultrasonic transducer control means are arranged to determine at least one acceptable or optimum parameter for the transmission of ultrasonic waves via said at least one ultrasonic transducer or for the reception of ultrasonic waves via said at least one ultrasonic transducer based on the determined humidity whereby each of the at least one parameter is designed to compensate for any increased attenuation of ultrasonic waves resulting from humidity above a threshold, the ultrasonic waves being transmitted via said at least one ultrasonic transducer into the interior space using the at least one determined parameter or any reflected waves being received via said at least one ultrasonic transducer using the at least one determined parameter, said ultrasonic transducer control means being arranged to optionally determine transmission power of the ultrasonic waves or amplification for the reception of the ultrasonic waves.

14. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein said ultrasonic transducer control means are coupled to said at least one transducer and arranged to modify transmission of the ultrasonic waves via said at least one ultrasound transducer based on the property of the atmosphere in the interior space determined by said determining means.

15. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein said ultrasonic transducer control means are coupled to said processor and arranged to modify processing of the received ultrasonic waves via said processor based on the property of the atmosphere in the interior space determined by said determining means.

16. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein said at least one ultrasonic transducer comprises a plurality of ultrasonic transducers arranged on said second substructure in positions in which they have an overlapping transmission and reception field, said processor being arranged to determine whether an object is present in the overlapping transmission and reception field based on any reception of waves by said ultrasonic transducers.

17. A vehicle, comprising: a plurality of parts or components defining an interior space in which one or more objects can be situated, said parts or components including a first substructure and a second substructure arranged opposite at least a part of said first substructure such that the interior space is defined in part by said first and second substructures; and an arrangement for determining whether an object is present in the interior space, said arrangement comprising: transmitting means arranged on said second substructure for transmitting ultrasonic waves at different times toward said first substructure; receiving means arranged on said second substructure for receiving any waves reflected from objects in the interior space during a period of time after each transmission; processor means coupled to said transmitting means and said receiving means for determining whether an object is present in the interior space based on any waves received by said receiving means; determining means for determining at least one property of an atmosphere in the interior space which affects the propagation of ultrasonic waves; and ultrasonic transducer control means coupled to said determining means and to at least one of said transmitting means and said processor means for modifying transmission of the ultrasonic waves via said transmitting means or processing of the received ultrasonic waves via said processor means based on the property of the atmosphere in the interior space determined by said determining means.

18. The vehicle of claim 17, wherein said receiving means is arranged to associate reception of waves in discrete periods of time with specific timed transmissions of waves, said arrangement further comprising a processing circuit coupled to said receiving means and arranged to remove at least one portion of the waves received by said receiving means in each time period to thereby form shortened returned waves, said processor means being coupled to said processing circuit and arranged to determine whether an object is present in the interior space based on the shortened returned waves formed by said processing circuit.

19. The vehicle of claim 18, wherein said at least one portion of the waves removed is an end wave portion at the end of the time period.

20. The vehicle of claim 17, wherein said transmitting means and said receiving means comprise a plurality of ultrasonic transducers arranged on said second substructure in positions in which they have different transmission and reception fields.

21. The vehicle of claim 17, wherein said processor means comprise a pattern recognition algorithm.

22. The vehicle of claim 21, wherein said pattern recognition algorithm comprises a neural network trained in a training stage in which ultrasonic waves received by said receiving means in the absence of objects in the interior space and ultrasonic waves received by said receiving means with objects present in the interior space are collected and used to derive the neural network, said neural network operatively processing the waves received by said receiving means to provide an indication of the presence or absence of objects in the interior space.

23. The vehicle of claim 17, wherein the vehicle is an automobile, the interior space is a passenger compartment in the automobile, said first substructure is a front passenger seat and said second substructure is an A-pillar, said processor means being arranged to determined the presence or absence of a passenger in said passenger seat.

24. The vehicle of claim 23, wherein said transmitting means comprise an ultrasonic transducer mounted on said A-pillar proximate but not on a ceiling defining the passenger compartment.

25. The vehicle of claim 17, wherein said ultrasonic transducer control means are coupled to said transmitting means and arranged to modify transmission of the ultrasonic waves via said transmitting means based on the property of the atmosphere in the interior space determined by said determining means.

26. The vehicle of claim 17, wherein said ultrasonic transducer control means are coupled to said processor means and arranged to modify processing of the received ultrasonic waves via said processor means based on the property of the atmosphere in the interior space determined by said determining means.

27. The vehicle of claim 17, wherein said transmitting means and said receiving means comprise a plurality of ultrasonic transducers arranged on said second substructure in positions in which they have an overlapping transmission and reception field, said processor means being arranged to determine whether an object is present in the overlapping transmission and reception field based on any reception of waves by said ultrasonic transducers.

28. A method for determining whether an object is present in an interior space of a movable asset, comprising: arranging at least one ultrasonic transducer on one side of the interior space; transmitting ultrasonic waves via the at least one ultrasonic transducer into the interior space; receiving any waves reflected from objects in the interior space via the at least one ultrasonic transducer; when waves are received, removing at least one portion of the received waves in a discrete period of time to thereby form shortened waves; and determining whether an object is present in the interior space based on any reception of waves by the at least one ultrasonic transducer and when waves are received in a discrete period of time, upon analysis of the shortened wave formed therefrom.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein the step of removing at least one portion of the received waves comprises removing an end wave portion ending at the end of a data sampling interval.

30. The method of claim 28, wherein the step of arranging at least one ultrasonic transducer comprises arranging a plurality of ultrasonic transducers in positions in which they have different transmission and reception fields.

31. The method of claim 28, wherein the receiving step comprises receiving any waves reflected from objects in the interior space during a succession of time windows following transmissions of ultrasonic waves, and upon reception of any waves, removing at least one portion of the received waves in each time window to thereby form shortened waves.

32. A vehicle, comprising: a plurality of parts or components defining an interior space in which one or more objects can be situated, said parts or components including a first substructure and a second substructure arranged opposite at least a part of said first substructure such that the interior space is defined in part by said first and second substructures; and an arrangement for determining whether an object is present in the interior space, said arrangement comprising: at least one ultrasonic transducer arranged on said second substructure and to transmit ultrasonic waves toward said first substructure and receive any waves reflected by objects in the interior space, said at least one ultrasonic transducer being controlled to associate reception of waves in discrete periods of time with specific timed transmissions of waves; and a processor coupled to said at least one ultrasonic transducer and arranged to determine whether an object is present in the interior space based on any reception of waves by said at least one ultrasonic transducer; and a processing circuit coupled to said at least one ultrasonic transducer and arranged to remove at least one portion of the waves received by said at least one ultrasonic transducer in each time period to thereby form shortened returned waves, said processor being coupled to said processing circuit and arranged to determine whether an object is present in the interior space based on the shortened returned waves formed by said processing circuit.

33. A vehicle, comprising: a plurality of parts or components defining an interior space in which one or more objects can be situated, said parts or components including a first substructure and a second substructure arranged opposite at least a part of said first substructure such that the interior space is defined in part by said first and second substructures; and an arrangement for determining whether an object is present in the interior space, said arrangement comprising: at least one ultrasonic transducer arranged on said second substructure and to transmit ultrasonic waves toward said first substructure and receive any waves reflected by objects in the interior space; a processor coupled to said at least one ultrasonic transducer and arranged to determine whether an object is present in the interior space based on any reception of waves by said at least one ultrasonic transducer; temperature determining means for determining the temperature of the atmosphere in the interior space; and modification means coupled to said at least one transducer for modifying transmission of the ultrasonic waves or processing of the received ultrasonic waves based on the determined temperature, said modification means being arranged to determine the size of a portion of waves to be removed from a larger set of waves received during each discrete period of time based on the determined temperature such that the analyzed waves emanate from the same distance or distance range from the at least one transducer.

34. A vehicle, comprising: a plurality of parts or components defining an interior space in which one or more objects can be situated, said parts or components including a first substructure and a second substructure arranged opposite at least a part of said first substructure such that the interior space is defined in part by said first and second substructures; and an arrangement for determining whether an object is present in the interior space, said arrangement comprising: transmitting means arranged on said second substructure for transmitting ultrasonic waves at different times toward said first substructure; receiving means arranged on said second substructure for receiving any waves reflected from objects in the interior space during a period of time after each transmission, said receiving means being arranged to associate reception of waves in discrete periods of time with specific timed transmissions of waves; processor means coupled to said transmitting means and said receiving means for determining whether an object is present in the interior space based on any waves received by said receiving means; and a processing circuit coupled to said receiving means and arranged to remove at least one portion of the waves received by said receiving means in each time period to thereby form shortened returned waves, said processor means being coupled to said processing circuit and arranged to determine whether an object is present in the interior space based on the shortened returned waves formed by said processing circuit.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to an arrangement and method for determining the presence or absence of objects in an asset such as a vehicle, house and cargo trailer. The present invention also relates to the field of sensing, detecting, monitoring and identifying various objects, and parts thereof, which are located in interior spaces of assets.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

All of the patents, patent applications, technical papers and other references mentioned below are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety unless stated otherwise.

Background information about the embodiments of the invention claimed herein is found in the '881 application, incorporated by reference herein. Definitions of terms used in the instant application are also set forth in the '881 application and the same definitions can be applied herein.

Preferred embodiments of the invention are described below and unless specifically noted, it is the applicants' intention that the words and phrases in the specification and claims be given the ordinary and accustomed meaning to those of ordinary skill in the applicable art(s). If the applicants intend any other meaning, they will specifically state they are applying a special meaning to a word or phrase.

Likewise, applicants' use of the word "function" here is not intended to indicate that the applicants seek to invoke the special provisions of 35 U.S.C. .sctn.112, sixth paragraph, to define their invention. To the contrary, if applicants wish to invoke the provisions of 35 U.S.C. .sctn.112, sixth paragraph, to define their invention, they will specifically set forth in the claims the phrases "means for" or "step for" and a function, without also reciting in that phrase any structure, material or act in support of the function. Moreover, even if applicants invoke the provisions of 35 U.S.C. .sctn.112, sixth paragraph, to define their invention, it is the applicants' intention that their inventions not be limited to the specific structure, material or acts that are described in the preferred embodiments herein. Rather, if applicants claim their inventions by specifically invoking the provisions of 35 U.S.C. .sctn.112, sixth paragraph, it is nonetheless their intention to cover and include any and all structure, materials or acts that perform the claimed function, along with any and all known or later developed equivalent structures, materials or acts for performing the claimed function.

OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to provide new and improved methods and arrangements for detecting whether an object is present in an interior space of a movable asset such as a vehicle. Possible interior spaces of movable assets include the passenger compartment of an automobile and the cargo bay of a truck trailer.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a new and improved method for generating an algorithm capable of operationally determining whether interior spaces of assets are empty or occupied.

In order to achieve at least one of these objects and others, one embodiment of a vehicle in accordance with the invention includes a plurality of parts or components defining an interior space in which one or more objects can be situated, the parts or components including a first substructure and a second substructure arranged opposite at least a part of the first substructure such that the interior space is defined in part by or between the first and second substructures, and an arrangement for determining whether an object is present in the interior space which includes at least one ultrasonic transducer arranged on the second substructure and to transmit ultrasonic waves toward the first substructure and receive any waves reflected by objects in the interior space and a processor coupled to the ultrasonic transducer(s) and arranged to determine whether an object is present in the interior space based on any reception of waves by the ultrasonic transducer(s). Thus, if the vehicle is an automobile and the interior space is the passenger compartment therein, the first substructure can be a front, substantially L-shaped passenger seat and the second substructure can be the A-pillar, in which case, the processor determines the presence or absence of a passenger in the passenger seat. A determination of occupancy of the front passenger seat is useful for deciding whether to allow an occupant protection device, such as an airbag, to be deployed in a crash involving the vehicle.

Variations in the arrangement include the ultrasonic transducer being controlled to associate reception of waves in discrete periods of time with specific timed transmissions of waves and the arrangement including a processing circuit coupled to the ultrasonic transducer(s) and arranged to remove at least one portion of each wave received by the ultrasonic transducer(s) in each time period to thereby form a shortened returned wave. The processor is coupled to the processing circuit and determines whether an object is present in the interior space based on the shortened returned waves formed by the processing circuit. The portion of the wave removed may be an end wave portion at the end of the time period. When a plurality of ultrasonic transducers are arranged on the second substructure, they can be arranged in positions in which they have different transmission and reception fields. Each ultrasonic transducer can comprise an ultrasonic transmitter and an ultrasonic received arranger in a common housing. Also, each ultrasonic transducer can be mounted at or proximate a top of the second substructure such that waves are transmitted in a downward direction toward the first substructure.

The processor may comprise a pattern recognition algorithm, and more specifically, a neural network arranged to determine whether an object is present in a training stage in which ultrasonic waves received by the ultrasonic transducer(s) in the absence of objects in the interior space and ultrasonic waves received by the ultrasonic transducer(s) with objects present in the interior space are collected and used to derive the neural network.

The arrangement preferably includes a temperature determining mechanism for determining the temperature of the atmosphere in the interior space so that transmission of the ultrasonic waves and/or processing of the received ultrasonic waves can be modified based on the determined temperature. Such modification may involve modifying a frequency at which the ultrasonic waves are transmitted based on the determined temperature to provide for a substantially constant wavelength of the transmitted ultrasonic waves over a range of temperatures and/or determining a size of a portion of waves to be removed from a larger set of waves received during each discrete period of time based on the determined temperature such that the analyzed waves emanate from the same distance or distance range from the at least one transducer.

Moreover, the arrangement preferably includes a humidity determining mechanism for determining the humidity of the atmosphere in the interior space and a parameter determining mechanism for determining at least one acceptable or optimum parameter for the transmission of ultrasonic waves via each ultrasonic transducer or for the reception of ultrasonic waves via each ultrasonic transducer based on the determined humidity. Each parameter is designed to compensate for any increased attenuation of ultrasonic waves resulting from humidity above a threshold. The ultrasonic waves are transmitted via the ultrasonic transducer(s) into the interior space using the determined parameter(s) or any reflected waves being received via the ultrasonic transducer(s) using the determined parameter(s). The parameter determining mechanism optionally determines transmission power of the ultrasonic waves or amplification for the reception of the ultrasonic waves.

In another embodiment of a vehicle in accordance with the invention which provides for a detection of the presence or absence of an object in an interior space therein, the arrangement for determining whether an object is present in the interior space includes a transmitting system arranged on the second substructure for transmitting ultrasonic waves at different times toward the first substructure, a receiving system arranged on the second substructure for receiving any waves reflected from objects in the interior space during a period of time after each transmission and a processor coupled to the transmitting system and the receiving system for determining whether an object is present in the interior space based on any waves received by the receiving system. The transmitting and receiving system may comprise a plurality of ultrasonic transducers arranged on the second substructure in positions in which they have different transmission and reception fields. The variations described above for the ultrasonic transducers and processor are also applicable in this embodiment.

A method for determining whether an object is present in an interior space of a movable asset, such as a vehicle, in accordance with the invention includes arranging at least one ultrasonic transducer on one side of the interior space, transmitting ultrasonic waves via the ultrasonic transducer(s) into the interior space, receiving any waves reflected by objects in the interior space via the ultrasonic transducer(s), when a wave is received, removing at least one portion of each received wave in a discrete period of time to thereby form a shortened wave, and determining whether an object is present in the interior space based on any reception of waves by the ultrasonic transducer(s) and when waves are received in a discrete period of time, upon analysis of the shortened wave formed therefrom. The portion of each received wave being removed may be an end wave portion ending at the end of a data sampling interval. When multiple ultrasonic transducers are provided, they are preferably arranged in positions in which they have different transmission and reception fields.

Another method for determining whether an object is present in an interior space of a movable asset, such as a vehicle, in accordance with the invention includes arranging at least one ultrasonic transducer on one side of the interior space, transmitting ultrasonic waves via the ultrasonic transducer(s) into the interior space, receiving any waves reflected from objects in the interior space during a succession of time windows following transmissions of ultrasonic waves and via the ultrasonic transducer(s), and upon reception of any waves, removing at least one portion of each received wave in each time window to thereby form a shortened wave, determining whether an object is present in the interior space based on any reception of waves by the ultrasonic transducer(s) and when waves are received during the time windows, upon analysis of the shortened wave formed therefrom. The portion of each received wave being removed may be an end wave portion ending at the end of a data sampling interval. When multiple ultrasonic transducers are provided, they are preferably arranged in positions in which they have different transmission and reception fields.

A method for generating an algorithm capable of operationally determining whether interior spaces of assets such as vehicles are empty or occupied includes mounting a plurality of ultrasonic transducers on the assets in substantially the same positions and such that each has a transmission and reception field including at least part of the interior space, and in a training stage utilizing at least one of the assets, obtaining data from the ultrasonic transducers while the interior space has one of a plurality of different states selected from an empty state and an occupied state in which one or more objects are present, forming a vector from the data from the ultrasonic transducers obtained while the interior space has a particular state, changing the state of the interior space and for each state, repeating the steps of obtaining data from the ultrasonic transducers and forming a vector from the data until a plurality of vectors are formed for different states including the empty state and at least one of the occupied states, and generating the algorithm based on the vectors such that upon operational input from the ultrasonic transducers, the algorithm is capable of outputting a determination of whether the interior space is empty or occupied. The algorithm is installed in a processor on the assets having ultrasonic transducers in substantially the same positions. Optionally, the vectors are modified prior to generating the algorithm by removing at least one portion of the wave received by each ultrasonic transducer during a discrete period of time. Modification of the vectors may entail removing an end portion of the wave during the time period.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The following drawings are illustrative of embodiments of the system developed or adapted using the teachings of at least one of the inventions disclosed herein and are not meant to limit the scope of the invention as encompassed by the claims.

FIG. 1 is a side view with parts cutaway and removed of a vehicle showing the passenger compartment containing a rear facing child seat on the front passenger seat and a preferred mounting location for an occupant and rear facing child seat presence detector including an antenna field sensor and a resonator or reflector placed onto the forward most portion of the child seat.

FIG. 2 is a side view with parts cutaway and removed showing schematically the interface between the vehicle interior monitoring system of at least one of the inventions disclosed herein and the vehicle cellular or other telematics communication system including an antenna field sensor.

FIG. 3 is a side view with parts cutaway and removed of a vehicle showing the passenger compartment containing a box on the front passenger seat and a preferred mounting location for an occupant and rear facing child seat presence detector and including an antenna field sensor.

FIG. 4 is a side view with parts cutaway and removed of a vehicle showing the passenger compartment containing a driver and a preferred mounting location for an occupant identification system and including an antenna field sensor and an inattentiveness response button.

FIG. 5 is a side view, with certain portions removed or cut away, of a portion of the passenger compartment of a vehicle showing several preferred mounting locations of occupant position sensors for sensing the position of the vehicle driver.

FIG. 6 shows a seated-state detecting unit in accordance with the present invention and the connections between ultrasonic or electromagnetic sensors, a weight sensor, a reclining angle detecting sensor, a seat track position detecting sensor, a heartbeat sensor, a motion sensor, a neural network, and an airbag system installed within a vehicle compartment.

FIG. 6A is an illustration as in FIG. 6 with the replacement of a strain gage weight sensor within a cavity within the seat cushion for the bladder weight sensor of FIG. 6.

FIG. 6B is a schematic showing the manner in which dynamic forces of the vehicle can be compensated for in a weight measurement of the occupant.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a vehicle showing the position of the ultrasonic or electromagnetic sensors relative to the driver and front passenger seats.

FIG. 8A is a side planar view, with certain portions removed or cut away, of a portion of the passenger compartment of a vehicle showing several preferred mounting locations of interior vehicle monitoring sensors shown particularly for sensing the vehicle driver illustrating the wave pattern from a CCD or CMOS optical position sensor mounted along the side of the driver or centered above his or her head.

FIG. 8B is a view as in FIG. 8A illustrating the wave pattern from an optical system using an infrared light source and a CCD or CMOS array receiver using the windshield as a reflection surface and showing schematically the interface between the vehicle interior monitoring system of at least one of the inventions disclosed herein and an instrument panel mounted inattentiveness warning light or buzzer and reset button.

FIG. 8C is a view as in FIG. 8A illustrating the wave pattern from an optical system using an infrared light source and a CCD or CMOS array receiver where the CCD or CMOS array receiver is covered by a lens permitting a wide angle view of the contents of the passenger compartment.

FIG. 8D is a view as in FIG. 8A illustrating the wave pattern from a pair of small CCD or CMOS array receivers and one infrared transmitter where the spacing of the CCD or CMOS arrays permits an accurate measurement of the distance to features on the occupant.

FIG. 8E is a view as in FIG. 8A illustrating the wave pattern from a set of ultrasonic transmitter/receivers where the spacing of the transducers and the phase of the signal permits an accurate focusing of the ultrasonic beam and thus the accurate measurement of a particular point on the surface of the driver.

FIG. 9 is a circuit diagram of the seated-state detecting unit of the present invention.

FIGS. 10(a), 10(b) and 10(c) are each a diagram showing the configuration of the reflected waves of an ultrasonic wave transmitted from each transmitter of the ultrasonic sensors toward the passenger seat, obtained within the time that the reflected wave arrives at a receiver, FIG. 10(a) showing an example of the reflected waves obtained when a passenger is in a normal seated-state, FIG. 10(b) showing an example of the reflected waves obtained when a passenger is in an abnormal seated-state (where the passenger is seated too close to the instrument panel), and FIG. 10(c) showing a transmit pulse.

FIG. 11 is a diagram of the data processing of the reflected waves from the ultrasonic or electromagnetic sensors.

FIG. 12 a flowchart showing the training steps of a neural network.

FIG. 13a is an explanatory diagram of a process for normalizing the reflected wave and shows normalized reflected waves.

FIG. 13b is a diagram similar to FIG. 13a showing a step of extracting data based on the normalized reflected waves and a step of weighting the extracted data by employing the data of the seat track position detecting sensor, the data of the reclining angle detecting sensor, and the data of the weight sensor.

FIG. 14 is a perspective view of the interior of the passenger compartment of an automobile, with parts cut away and removed, showing a variety of transmitters that can be used in a phased array system.

FIG. 15 is a perspective view of a vehicle containing an adult occupant and an occupied infant seat on the front seat with the vehicle shown in phantom illustrating one preferred location of the transducers placed according to the methods taught in at least one of the inventions disclosed herein.

FIG. 16 is a schematic illustration of a system for controlling operation of a vehicle or a component thereof based on recognition of an authorized individual.

FIG. 17 is a schematic illustration of a method for controlling operation of a vehicle based on recognition of an individual.

FIG. 18 is a perspective view of a seat shown in phantom, with a movable headrest and sensors for measuring the height of the occupant from the vehicle seat, and a weight sensor shown mounted onto the seat.

FIG. 18A is a view taken along line 18A-18A in FIG. 18.

FIG. 18B is an enlarged view of the section designated 18B in FIG. 18.

FIG. 18C is a view of another embodiment of a seat with a weight sensor similar to the view shown in FIG. 18A.

FIG. 18D is a view of another embodiment of a seat with a weight sensor in which a SAW strain gage is placed on the bottom surface of the cushion.

FIG. 19 is a perspective view of a one embodiment of an apparatus for measuring the weight of an occupying item of a seat illustrating weight sensing transducers mounted on a seat control mechanism portion which is attached directly to the seat.

FIG. 20 illustrates a seat structure with the seat cushion and back cushion removed illustrating a three-slide attachment of the seat to the vehicle and preferred mounting locations on the seat structure for strain measuring weight sensors of an apparatus for measuring the weight of an occupying item of a seat in accordance with the invention.

FIG. 20A illustrates an alternate view of the seat structure transducer mounting location taken in the circle 20A of FIG. 20 with the addition of a gusset and where the strain gage is mounted onto the gusset.

FIG. 20B illustrates a mounting location for a weight sensing transducer on a centralized transverse support member in an apparatus for measuring the weight of an occupying item of a seat in accordance with the invention.

FIGS. 21A, 21B and 21C illustrate three alternate methods of mounting strain transducers of an apparatus for measuring the weight of an occupying item of a seat in accordance with the invention onto a tubular seat support structural member.

FIG. 22 illustrates an alternate weight sensing transducer utilizing pressure sensitive transducers.

FIG. 22A illustrates a part of another alternate weight sensing system for a seat.

FIG. 23 illustrates an alternate seat structure assembly utilizing strain transducers.

FIG. 23A is a perspective view of a cantilevered beam type load cell for use with the weight measurement system of at least one of the inventions disclosed herein for mounting locations of FIG. 23, for example.

FIG. 23B is a perspective view of a simply supported beam type load cell for use with the weight measurement system of at least one of the inventions disclosed herein as an alternate to the cantilevered load cell of FIG. 23A.

FIG. 23C is an enlarged view of the portion designated 23C in FIG. 23B.

FIG. 23D is a perspective view of a tubular load cell for use with the weight measurement system of at least one of the inventions disclosed herein as an alternate to the cantilevered load cell of FIG. 23A.

FIG. 23E is a perspective view of a torsional beam load cell for use with the weight measurement apparatus in accordance with the invention as an alternate to the cantilevered load cell of FIG. 23A.

FIG. 24 is a perspective view of an automatic seat adjustment system, with the seat shown in phantom, with a movable headrest and sensors for measuring the height of the occupant from the vehicle seat showing motors for moving the seat and a control circuit connected to the sensors and motors.

FIG. 25 is a view of the seat of FIG. 24 showing a system for changing the stiffness and the damping of the seat.

FIG. 25A is a view of the seat of FIG. 24 wherein the bladder contains a plurality of chambers.

FIG. 26 is a schematic drawing of one embodiment of an occupant restraint device control system in accordance with the invention.

FIG. 27 is a flow chart of the operation of one embodiment of an occupant restraint device control method in accordance with the invention.

FIG. 28 is a view showing an inflated airbag and an arrangement for controlling both the flow of gas into and the flow of gas out of the airbag during the crash where the determination is made based on a height sensor located in the headrest and a weight sensor in the seat.

FIG. 28A illustrates the valving system of FIG. 28.

FIG. 29A is a schematic drawing of the basic embodiment of the adjustment system in accordance with the invention.

FIG. 29B is a schematic drawing of another basic embodiment of the adjustment system in accordance with the invention.

FIG. 30 is a flow chart of an arrangement for controlling a component in accordance with the invention.

FIG. 31 is a side plan view of the interior of an automobile, with portions cut away and removed, with two occupant height measuring sensors, one mounted into the headliner above the occupant's head and the other mounted onto the A-pillar and also showing a seatbelt associated with the seat wherein the seatbelt has an adjustable upper anchorage point which is automatically adjusted based on the height of the occupant.

FIG. 32 is a view of the seat of FIG. 24 showing motors for changing the tilt of seat back and the lumbar support.

FIG. 33 is a view as in FIG. 31 showing a driver and driver seat with an automatically adjustable steering column and pedal system which is adjusted based on the morphology of the driver.

FIG. 34 is a view similar to FIG. 24 showing the occupant's eyes and the seat adjusted to place the eyes at a particular vertical position for proper viewing through the windshield and rear view mirror.

FIG. 35A is a perspective view showing a shipping container including one embodiment of the monitoring system in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 35B is a cross-sectional view of the shipping container shown in FIG. 35A.

FIG. 36A is a flow chart showing one manner in which a container is monitored in accordance with the invention.

FIG. 36B is a cross-sectional view of a container showing the use of RFID technology in a monitoring system and method in accordance with the invention.

FIG. 36C is a cross-sectional view of a container showing the use of barcode technology in a monitoring system and method in accordance with the invention.

FIG. 37 is a flow chart showing one manner in which multiple assets are monitored in accordance with the invention.

FIG. 38 is a diagram of one exemplifying embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 39 is a schematic view of overall telematics system in accordance with the invention.

FIG. 40 is a circuit diagram showing a method of approximately compensating for the drop-off in signal strength due to distance to the target.

FIG. 41 illustrates a circuit that performs a quasi-logarithmic compression amplification of the return signal.

FIG. 42 illustrates a damped transducer where the damping material is placed in the transducer cone.

FIG. 43 illustrates the superimposed reflections from a target placed at three distances from the transducer, 9 cm, 50 cm and 1 meter respectively for a transducer with a damped cone as shown in FIG. 42.

FIG. 44 illustrates the superimposed reflectio